4nov09- lpo programme notes

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Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI Principal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN Leader PIETER SCHOEMAN Composer in Residence MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER

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CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH conductor PETRA LANG mezzo soprano

WAGNER Wesendonk-Lieder

†

PROGRAMME £3 CONTENTS 2 List of Players 3 Orchestra History 4 Southbank Centre 5 Christoph Eschenbach 6 Petra Lang 7 Programme notes 12 Recordings 13 Supporters 14 Philharmonic News 15 Administration 16 Future Concerts

(14’) The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide.

(25’)

INTERVAL BRUCKNER Symphony 6 in A

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AM†

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL Wednesday 4 November 2009 | 7.30 pm

WAGNER Overture, Tannhäuser

14:16

(54’)

supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINS Carmine Lauri Guest Leader Katalin Varnagy Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Tina Gruenberg Martin Hรถhmann Chair supported by Richard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey Lynn Robert Pool Florence Schoeman Sarah Streatfeild Yang Zhang Peter Nall Galina Tanney Joanne Chen Midori Sugiyama Anna Croad SECOND VIOLINS Clare Duckworth Principal Chair supported by Richard and Victoria Sharp

Jeongmin Kim Joseph Maher Fiona Higham Nynke Hijlkema Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Andrew Thurgood Sioni Williams Heather Badke Alison Strange Peter Graham Stephen Stewart Mila Mustakova

VIOLAS Andriy Viytovych Guest Principal Robert Duncan Anthony Byrne Chair supported by John and Angela Kessler

Katharine Leek Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Laura Vallejo Naomi Holt Claudio Cavalletti Sarah Malcolm Karin Norlen Pamela Ferriman CELLOS Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Simon Yates and Kevin Roon

Susanne Beer Co-Principal Francis Bucknall Santiago Sabino Carvalho + Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Tom Roff Pavlos Carvalho David Bucknall Tae-Mi Song DOUBLE BASSES Kevin Rundell* Principal Laurence Lovelle George Peniston Richard Lewis David Johnson Helen Rowlands Catherine Ricketts Tom Walley

FLUTES Karen Jones Guest Principal Eilidh Gillespie PICCOLO Stewart McIlwham* Principal OBOES Ian Hardwick Principal Angela Tennick

TUBA Lee Tsarmaklis Principal TIMPANI Simon Carrington* Principal PERCUSSION Rachel Gledhill Principal Andrew Barclay* Co-Principal Keith Millar

CLARINETS Robert Hill* Principal Nicholas Carpenter BASSOONS John Price Principal Simon Estell HORNS Richard Bissill* Principal John Ryan Principal Martin Hobbs Adrian Uren Gareth Mollison TRUMPETS Nicholas Betts Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff and Meg Mann

Daniel Newell TROMBONES Mark Templeton* Principal David Whitehouse BASS TROMBONE Lyndon Meredith Principal

* Holds a professorial appointment in London +

Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco

Chair Supporters The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: David and Victoria Graham Fuller Julian and Gill Simmonds Mrs Steven Ward

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LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

© Richard Cannon

Seventy-seven years after Sir Thomas Beecham founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra, it is recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage. Following Beecham’s influential founding tenure the Orchestra’s Principal Conductorship has been passed from one illustrious musician to another, amongst them Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive tradition continued in September 2007 when Vladimir Jurowski became the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, and in a further exciting move, the Orchestra appointed Yannick Nézet-Séguin, its new Principal Guest Conductor from September 2008.

Orchestra’s Composer in Residence, Mark-Anthony Turnage. Imaginative programming and a commitment to new music are at the heart of the Orchestra’s activity, with regular commissions and world première performances.

In addition to its London season, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. It is unique in combining these concert activities with esteemed opera performances each summer at Glyndebourne Festival Opera where it has been the Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs to enthusiastic audiences all round the world. In 1956 it at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it opened became the first British orchestra to appear in Soviet in 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It plays Russia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by a there around 40 times each season with many of the Western orchestra. Touring continues to form a world’s most sought after conductors and soloists. significant part of the Orchestra’s schedule, with regular Concert highlights in 2009/10 include Between Two appearances in North America, Europe and the Far East, Worlds – an exploration of the music and times of Alfred Schnittke; a Sibelius symphony cycle with Osmo Vänskä in January/February 2010; a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah ‘The LPO rose to the occasion with some very fine conducted by Kurt Masur and dedicated to playing: eloquent solo work combined with fullthe 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin textured passages of often sumptuous beauty.’

Wall; and new works by Rautavaara, Górecki, BARRY MILLINGTON, EVENING STANDARD, 4 SEPTEMBER 2009 Philip Glass, Ravi Shankar and the

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WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE

often headlining at major festivals. Tours in 2009/10 include visits to Germany, Australia, France, China, the Canaries and the USA. Having long been embraced by the recording, broadcasting and film industries, the London Philharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domestic and international television and radio. It also works extensively with the Hollywood and UK film industries, recording soundtracks for blockbuster motion pictures including the Oscar-winning score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and scores for Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission, Philadelphia and East is East.

The Orchestra also enjoys strong relationships with the major record labels and in 2005 began reaching out to new global audiences through the release of live, studio and archive recordings on its own CD label. Recent additions to the catalogue have included acclaimed releases of Shostakovich’s monumental Tenth Symphony under Bernard Haitink; a disc of contemporary works by composers Thomas Adès, James MacMillan and Jennifer Higdon conducted by Marin Alsop; Rachmaninov’s Symphony 3 along with Bax’s Tintagel conducted by Osmo Vänskä; a CD of early Britten works conducted by Vladimir Jurowski; and Mahler’s Symphony 6 under the baton of Klaus Tennstedt. The Orchestra’s own-label releases are available to download by work or individual track from its website: www.lpo.org.uk/shop.

The Orchestra reaches thousands of Londoners through its rich programme of community and school-based activity in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, which includes the offshoot ensembles Renga and The Band, its Foyle Future Firsts apprenticeship scheme for outstanding young instrumentalists, and regular family and schools concerts.

To help maintain its high standards and diverse workload, the Orchestra is committed to the welfare of its musicians and in December 2007 received the Association of British Orchestras/Musicians Benevolent Fund Healthy Orchestra Bronze Charter Mark.

There are many ways to experience and stay in touch with the Orchestra’s activities: visit www.lpo.org.uk, subscribe to our podcast series and join us on Facebook.

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We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance.

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include: MDC music and movies, Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffé Vergnano 1882, Skylon and Feng Sushi, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact our Head of Customer Relations at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, by phone on 020 7960 4250 or by email at customer@southbankcentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre.

Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before the performance begins

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CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH CONDUCTOR

Jessica Griffin

2004, he will lead the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra on tours in Hungary and the Czech Republic as part of the centennial of Mahler’s death and in North America with Lang Lang as soloist.

In demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, Christoph Eschenbach is currently Music Director Designate of the National Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director Designate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. He assumes these posts at the start of the 2010/11 season and is already playing a key role in planning future seasons, international festivals and special projects for these two prestigious institutions.

In the 2008/09 season Christoph Eschenbach took the Orchestre de Paris, of which he is now in his tenth and final season as Music Director, to the Berlin Festival, the BBC Proms and on a tour of Scandinavia, and led the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he was Music Director from 2003 to 2008, on a three-week European tour.

Other highlights included return engagements with the Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony as well as concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

In 2009/10 Christoph Eschenbach returns to the Vienna Philharmonic at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg (where he will play and conduct) and the Philadelphia Orchestra to lead two programmes, one of which includes Mahler’s Symphony 7 in Carnegie Hall, completing his Mahler cycle with the orchestra. He leads his first concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra since his appointment as Music Director was announced in autumn 2008. He also conducts two programmes at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic and takes the Orchestra on a tour of China. Principal Conductor of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival International Orchestral Academy since

As a pianist, he continues his fruitful collaboration with baritone Matthias Goerne. The duo is recording Schubert's three song cycles – Die Schöne Müllerin, Die Winterreise, and Schwanengesang— for the Harmonia Mundi label, the first instalment of which was released in May 2009. In the summer of 2009, they performed three complete cycles in three recitals each at Wigmore Hall, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and the Schubertiade Festival in Austria. Christoph Eschenbach also gave performances of Schubert’s monumental Piano Sonata in B flat at each venue.

A prolific recording artist over five decades, Christoph Eschenbach has an impressive discography as both a conductor and a pianist, his recordings ranging from JS Bach to music of our time. His discography includes recordings with the Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, Hamburg NDR Symphony and Houston Symphony Orchestras. His recordings have received a number of prestigious honours including BBC Magazine’s ‘Disc of the Month’, Gramophone’s ‘Editors Choice’ and the German Record Critics’ Award, among others. His recent recording of the music of Kaija Saariaho with the Orchestre de Paris and soprano Karita Mattila won the 2009 MIDEM Classical Award in Contemporary Music.

Mentored by George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, Christoph Eschenbach held the posts of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra from 1982 to 1986; Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1999; Music Director of the Ravinia Festival from 1994 to 2003; and Artistic Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival from 1999 to 2002. His many honours include the Légion d’Honneur; Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; the Officer's Cross with Star and Ribbon of the German Order of Merit; and the Commander's Cross of the German Order of Merit for outstanding achievements as pianist and conductor. He also received the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Pacific Music Festival, where he was Co-Artistic Director from 1992 to 1998.

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PETRA LANG

Anne Weitz

MEZZO SOPRANO

Born in Frankfurt, Petra Lang began her music studies with the violin before she went on to study singing with Gertie Charlent at the Music Academy of Darmstadt. She also worked from 1989 to 2006 with Ingrid Bjoner. Awards have included First Prize at the s’Hertogenbosch, Robert-Stolz and Girardi International Singing Competitions.

Currently Petra Lang is much in demand for her Wagnerian roles of Kundry, Sieglinde, Brangäne, Venus, Ortrud and Adriano, as well as for Bartok’s Judith, Berlioz’s Cassandre, Strauss’s Ariadne and for her interpretation of Gustav Mahler’s works.

She has appeared at all the major opera houses of Europe and the USA and at the festivals of Bayreuth, Salzburg and Bregenz, and has sung with major orchestras worldwide, working with leading conductors such as Abbado, Boulez, Bychkov, Chailly, Chung, Davis, von Dohnányi, Eschenbach, Haitink, Harding, Inbal, Janowski, Jordan, Mehta, Muti, Saraste, Sawallisch, Rattle, Runnicles, Tate and Thielemann.

In 2002, Petra Lang won two Grammy Awards for her interpretation of Cassandre as part of the London Symphony Orchestra's live recording of Berlioz's Les Troyens conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

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Petra Lang enjoys a reputation as being a sensitive lieder interpreter, and has given recitals at Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Théâtre du Châtelet and the Louvre in Paris, Austria's Schubertiade Feldkirch and New York's Carnegie Hall as well as at the Edinburgh Festival, in Geneva, Brussels and Ghent and throughout her native Germany. She has recorded songs by the conductor Clemens Krauss for Oehms Classics.

Future plans include the roles of Kundry in Parsifal in Vienna; Ortrud in Lohengrin in Vienna, Berlin and San Francisco; Venus in Tannhäuser in Munich; Eglantine in Euryanthe in Toulouse, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle in Paris and Cologne, Cassandre in Les Troyens in Berlin and the title role in Ariadne at a gala performance in Mannheim. She will also sing Schoenberg’s Erwartung in Toulouse, Mahler’s Wunderhorn Songs in Berlin and Wagner’s Wesendonk-Lieder in London, Budapest, Vienna and Paris. She will also give a BBC Lunchtime Recital in London.

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PROGRAMME NOTES

SPEEDREAD With Tannhäuser, the tale of a medieval knight torn between pagan orgies and the love of a Christian maiden, Wagner earned one of his early operatic successes. The overture contrasts the ultimately triumphant pilgrims’ chorus with music depicting carnal revelry.

Twelve years later in 1857 Wagner was involved in a relationship with Mathilde Wesendonk, the wife of a rich silk merchant. That was a factor in his decision to break off work on The Nibelung’s Ring and begin composing an opera on the tragic legend of Tristan and Isolde. At the same time Wagner set five of Mathilde’s poems to music that shares the opera’s harmonic idiom and in two instances its themes. He composed the songs for voice

Richard WAGNER

and piano, but orchestrated Träume so that it could be played under the lady’s window on her birthday. With his agreement the conductor Felix Mottl orchestrated the other songs.

Bruckner, who revered Wagner, was a celebrated organist but in his fifties was still a largely unappreciated composer, his symphonies either unsuccessful or unperformed. He continued composing them, and his Sixth Symphony contains some of the most beautiful music he ever wrote. Although it is less massive than some of his other symphonies, it can still generate big climaxes from an orchestra of relatively modest size. The four movements are close-knit, the opening theme returning at the final climax. © Eric Mason

OVERTURE, TANNHÄUSER

1813-1883 Wagner in his twenties was leading a penniless life in Paris when the story of Tannhäuser came to his notice as a potential operatic subject. In 1842 he moved to Dresden, where his fortunes improved. He completed the opera in the spring of 1845, and the première took place on 19 October in the Dresden Court Theatre. After two uncertainly received performances the third achieved a success that established the opera in the international repertory.

Its subject is the perpetual opposition of carnal and spiritual love as exemplified by the minstrel knight, Tannhäuser, who is torn between the pagan sexual allure of the goddess Venus and the pure love of the Christian maiden, Elisabeth. On seeking the Pope’s forgiveness for a wild sojourn on the Venusberg he is told that his sin can no more be forgiven than the Papal staff can break into leaf. Tannhäuser dies a penitent, whereupon pilgrims are seen bearing the Pope’s staff, which has sprouted leaves.

The overture employs themes from the opera, beginning with the pilgrims’ chorus. Then, in Wagner’s words, ‘as night falls, magic sights and sounds appear, a rosy mist floats up, exultant shouts assail our ears and the whirling of a fearsomely voluptuous dance is seen.’

Tannhäuser’s love song in praise of Venus rings out, answered by ‘wild cries of riot’. When the revelry subsides, a clarinet introduces the siren song of Venus, and Tannhäuser responds with his song again. The orgies resume and reach a climax of abandon before day breaks and the pilgrims’ chorus is heard again in the distance. The pilgrims draw nearer until ‘the sun ascends at last in splendour, proclaiming in ecstasy to all the world, to all that lives and moves thereon, salvation won.’ © Eric Mason

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Richard WAGNER

WESENDONK-LIEDER PETRA LANG mezzo soprano Der Engel | Stehe still! | Im Treibhaus | Schmerzen | Träume

1813-1883 When Wagner was forced to leave Germany after being involved in the 1848 revolution, he went to Switzerland and settled in Zurich. He soon made new friends, among them Otto Wesendonk, a wealthy silk merchant, and his wife Mathilde. In 1853 Wagner composed a piano sonata for Mathilde, and their friendship gradually developed into something much closer. Early in 1857 Otto bought a cottage next to the Wesendonks’ new home, and let it to Wagner for a nominal rent. The composer’s emotional entanglement with Mathilde now reached a climax.

off work on Siegfried and begin the composition of Tristan und Isolde. At the same time – between November 1857 and the following May – he set five poems by Mathilde as songs with piano accompaniment. All five songs share the harmonic idiom of the opera, and Wagner described two of them as studies for Tristan. Im Treibhaus anticipates the lonely prelude to Act Three, and Träume foreshadows the Act Two Love Duet and Brangäne’s warning.

For three years Wagner had been considering the legendary love story of Tristram and Iseult (aka Tristan and Isolde) as a subject for an opera, and it was almost certainly his relationship with Mathilde that made him identify with the story so closely that he had to break

Wagner orchestrated Träume so that a small orchestra could play it under Mathilde’s window on her birthday, 23 December. With the composer’s agreement the conductor Felix Mottl orchestrated the other four songs.

The affair with Mathilde ended the following autumn when Wagner’s wife Minna caused embarrassing scenes that obliged him to move away.

Der Engel

The Angel

In der Kindheit frühen Tagen hört’ ich oft von Engel sagen die des Himmels hehre Wonne tauschen mit der Erdensonne.

In childhood’s early days I often heard tell of angels who exchange Heaven’s sublime bliss for the earth’s sun.

Dass, wo bang ein Herz in Sorgen schmachtet vor der Welt verborgen, dass, wo still es will verbluten und vergehn in Tränenfluten,

So that where a heart in sore distress languishes hidden from the world, where silently it would bleed and pass away in floods of tears,

Dass, wo brünstig sein Gebet einzig um Erlösung fleht, da der Engel nieder schwebt und es sanft gen Himmel hebt.

where its fervent prayer begs only for deliverance, there the angel floats down and gently lifts it up to heaven.

Ja, es steig auch mir ein Engel nieder, und auf leuchtendem Gefieder führt er, ferne jedem Schmerz, meinen Geist nun himmelwärts!

Yes, an angel came down to me, too, and now on gleaming pinions, far from every sorrow, it leads my spirit heavenwards!

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Stehe still!

Stand still!

Sausendes, brausendes Rad der Zeit, Messer du der Ewigkeit; leuchtende Sphären im weiten All, die ihr umringt den Weltenball;

Rushing, roaring wheel of time, you measure of eternity; gleaming spheres in the wide universe, you that surround the globe of the world;

Urewige Schöpfung, halte doch ein, genug des Werdens, lass mich sein!

Halte an dich, zeugende Kraft, Urgedanke, der ewig schafft!

Primeval creation, stop, enough of evolution, let me be!

Restrain yourself, creative force, primal thought that forever creates!

Hemmet den Atem, stillet den Drang, schweiget nur einde Sekunde lang!

Schwellende Pulse, fesselt den Schlag, Ende, des Wollens ew’ger Tag!

Hold your breath, still the impulsion, be silent for just a second long!

Swelling pulse, arrest your beat, end, eternal day of will!

Dass in selig süssem Vergessen ich mög’ alle Wonnen ermessen!

Wenn Aug’ in Auge wonnig trinken, Seele ganz in Seele versinken;

So that in blissful sweet oblivion I might measure all my bliss!

When eye drinks blissfully from eye, soul drowns utterly in soul;

Wesen in Wesen sich wieder findet, und alles Hoffens Ende sich kündet; die Lippe verstummt in staunendem Schweigen; keinen Wunsch mehr will das Innre zeugen:

Being finds itself in being, and becomes aware of all hope’s end; lips fall dumb in astonished silence; the inner being begets no further desire:

Erkennt der Mensch des Ew’gen Spur, und löst dein Rätsel, heil’ge Natur!

Man discerns eternity’s track, and solves your riddle, holy Nature!

Im Treibhaus

In the Hothouse

Hochgewölbte Blätterkronen, Baldachine von Smaragd, Kinder ihr aus fernen Zonen, saget mir, warum ihr klagt?

High-vaulted crowns of leaves, canopies of emerald, you children from far regions, tell me, why do you lament?

Schweigend neiget ihr die Zweige, malet Zeichen in die Luft, und, der Leiden stummer Zeuge, steiget aufwärts süsser Duft.

Silently you bend your branches, paint patterns in the air, and, sorrow’s mute witness, sweet perfume rises.

Weit in sehnendem Verlangen breitet ihr die Arme aus, und umschlinget wahnbefangen öder Leere nicht’gen Graus.

In longing desire you stretch your arms wide, and embrace deliriously the null horror of barren emptiness.

Wohl, ich weiss es, arme Pflanze: ein Geschicke teilen wir, ob umstrahlt von Licht und Glanze, unsre Heimat ist nicht hier!

Well I know it, poor plant: we share one fate, though surrounded by light and brightness, our homeland is not here!

Und wie froh die Sonne scheidet von des Tages leerem Schein, hüllet der, der wahrhaft leidet, sich in Schweigens Dunkel ein.

And as the sun gladly departs from the empty light of day, he who truly suffers wraps himself in the darkness of silence.

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Stille wird’s, ein säuselnd Weben füllet bang den dunklen Raum; schwere Tropfen seh’ ich schweben an der Blätter grünen Saum.

It grows still, a murmuring tremor fills the dark room with anxiety; I see heavy drops hanging on the green edge of the leaves.

Schmerzen

Sorrows

Sonne, weinest jeden Abend dir die schönen Augen rot, wenn im Meeresspiegel badend dich erreicht der frühe Tod.

Sun, you weep each evening, your beautiful eyes are red, bathing in the sea’s mirror you meet an early death.

Doch erstehst in alter Pracht, Glorie der düstren Welt, du am Morgen neu erwacht wie ein stolzer Siegesheld!

Yet you rise again in pristine splendour, glory of the gloomy world, you awake anew in the morning like a proud conquering hero!

Ach, wie sollte ich da klagen, wie, mein Herz, so schwer dich sehn, muss die Sonne selbst verzagen, muss die Sonne untergehn?

Ah, how can I complain, how, my heart, look so sadly upon you, if the sun itself must despair, if the sun must go down?

Und gebieret Tod nur Leben, geben Schmerzen Wonnen nur: O wie dank’ ich, das gegeben solche Schmerzen mir Natur!

And if death but gives birth to life, sorrows yield only delight; O how thankful I am, that nature gave me such sorrows!

Träume

Dreams

Sag’, welch wunderbare Träume halten meinen Sinn umfangen, dass sie nicht wie leere Schäume sind in ödes Nichts vergangen?

Say, what wonderful dreams hold my senses in their embrace, so they have not like empty bubbles into bleak nothingness passed away?

Träume, die in jeder Stunde, jedem Tage schöner blüh’n, und mit ihrer Himmelskunde selig durch’s Gemüte ziehn?

Dreams that with every hour, every day grow more beautiful, and with their heavenly tidings blissfully run through my mind?

Träume, die wie hehre Strahlen in die Seele sich versenken, dort ein ewig Bild zu malen: Allvergessen, Eingedenken!

Dreams that like sublime rays sink into the soul, there to paint an eternal picture: oblivion, remembrance!

Träume, wie wenn Frühlingssonne aus dem Schnee die Blüten küsst, dass zu nie geahnter Wonne sie der neue Tag begrüsst.

Dreams, as when springtime’s sun kisses the blossoms out of the snow, so that in unexpected delight the new day greets them.

Dass sie wachsen, dass sie blühen, träumend spenden ihren Duft, sanft an deiner Brust verglühen, und dann sinken in die Gruft.

So they grow, so they bloom, dreaming dispense their scent, gently fade upon your breast, and then sink into the tomb.

Note and English translations © Eric Mason

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INTERVAL 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.

Anton BRUCKNER

SYMPHONY 6 IN A Maestoso | Adagio: Sehr feierlich | Scherzo: Nicht schnell | Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

1824-1896 In September 1879, when he began his Sixth Symphony, Bruckner was living frugally in Vienna. The former organist of Linz Cathedral had moved there in 1868 to teach at the Conservatory and play for services in the Court Chapel. He was now also teaching at Vienna University but his various duties were poorly paid. The first performance of his Third Symphony in December 1877 had been a catastrophe, and the Fourth and Fifth still remained unheard. The urge to compose, however, was too strong to be stifled, and Bruckner confidently set to work on the Sixth Symphony. He finished it in September 1881 and, unusually for him, felt no need to revise it. Nor did it suffer the editorial attention of friends that so bedevilled some of the other symphonies.

Bruckner heard only one complete performance, a tryout rehearsal by the Vienna Philharmonic under Wilhelm Jahn. The second and third movements were publicly performed under Jahn on 11 February 1883, but the full symphony was not heard in public until three years after Bruckner’s death, when Mahler conducted a heavily cut performance in Vienna. The first uncut performance took place in Stuttgart on 14 March 1901.

Some of Bruckner’s most tender and intimate music and some of his loveliest melodies are found in this symphony, yet it does not lack big climaxes, which he could produce with an orchestra of relatively modest size. This is one of his most closely-knit symphonies; the

music flows from one section to the next more smoothly than is sometimes the case with Bruckner, and the movements disclose links with one another.

A rhythmic pattern, which pervades much of the opening movement, is heard on the violins at the outset, and against this the lower strings intone the first main theme, which the full orchestra exultantly takes up. The theme’s second part has a dotted-note rhythm, a recurrent feature throughout the symphony.

The strings introduce the lyrical second subject, based on cross rhythms, and a massive third subject led by trombones follows later. A gentle codetta of woodwind and string arpeggios leads without pause into the development section, which ranges into distant harmonic territory. An ingenious modulation restores the home key for a big climax, which proves to be the first subject forcefully opening the recapitulation. The other themes are reviewed, and in the coda the first theme is considered in various keys before the return of A major and the initial rhythm brings a bold, succinct conclusion.

The Adagio, marked ‘very solemn’, opens with a string theme, which is counterpointed by a poignant oboe melody in dotted rhythm and climaxes in a descending scale. The movement is in Bruckner’s three-subject sonata form. The second subject is a flowing string melody, and the third suggests a funeral march. In the recapitulation, which reaches a passionate climax, the

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horns take over the lamenting counter-melody from the oboe. The composer gave no clue to his thoughts, preferring as usual to let the music speak for itself.

Next comes a scherzo of fantastical character. Moving between major and minor tonality but predominantly in A minor, it has a main theme that develops from a steady, tramping bass to an outburst of wild fanfares.

The secondary section trips rather than tramps. In the central trio section a phrase in dotted rhythm on pizzicato strings and a horn fanfare usher in a woodwind theme that is nothing less than the main subject of the Fifth Symphony. Elgar used to say that all the themes in a work of his came from the same oven.

Similarly one could say all Bruckner’s symphonies came from one oven; he could transfer a theme from one work to another without incongruity.

Strings and woodwind set the finale in flowing motion over a treading bass. The principal theme, derived from

the opening of the Adagio, develops a marching stride and rises to a fanfare climax. The tender second subject is dwelt upon at some length before the third, a unison variant of the first, appears. The oboe melody from the Adagio significantly reappears on the strings, its sorrowful character now transformed by the faster tempo. The concise development begins with an inversion of the main theme on cellos and includes a new violin theme. At first the mood is meditative, but the brass assumes progressive dominance. The first and second subjects are recapitulated, followed by the transformed oboe lament, and there is an abruptly terminated climax. So far the prevailing key has been A minor, but Bruckner is striving to recover the symphony’s initial exultant mood. The marching principal theme at last moves into resplendent A major, and at the final great climax it is combined with the symphony’s opening theme. © Eric Mason

RECORDINGS ON THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA’S OWN RECORD LABEL

LPO-0003 Klaus Tennstedt conducts orchestral excerpts from Wagner operas ‘Every bar of these performances is filled with the extra adrenalin that one expects at a really memorable concert.’

GRAMOPHONE

LPO-0030 Klaus Tennstedt conducts Bruckner’s Symphony 7 ‘This is an account of great individuality and cumulative power … The Scherzo and finale are both urgent and strongly projected and the playing is excellent from start to finish.’

INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW

The recordings may be downloaded in high quality MP3 format from www.lpo.org.uk/shop. They may also be purchased from all good retail outlets or through the London Philharmonic Orchestra: telephone 020 7840 4242 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) or visit the website www.lpo.org.uk

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We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, Principal Benefactors and Benefactors: Thomas Beecham Group Mr & Mrs Richard & Victoria Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds Mrs Steven Ward Simon Yates & Kevin Roon Garf & Gill Collins David & Victoria Graham Fuller Richard Karl Goeltz John & Angela Kessler Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Eric Tomsett Guy & Utti Whittaker Principal Benefactors Mark & Elizabeth Adams Jane Attias Lady Jane Berrill Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Andrew Davenport Mrs Sonja Drexler Mr Charles Dumas David Ellen Commander Vincent Evans

Mr Daniel Goldstein Mrs Barbara Green Mr Ray Harsant Oliver Heaton Peter MacDonald Eggers Mr & Mrs David Malpas Andrew T Mills Mr Maxwell Morrison Mr & Mrs Thierry Sciard Mr John Soderquist & Mr Costas Michaelides Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Howard & Sheelagh Watson Mr Laurie Watt Mr Anthony Yolland Benefactors Mrs A Beare Dr & Mrs Alan Carrington CBE FRS Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Mr David Edgecombe Mr Richard Fernyhough Ken Follett Michael & Christine Henry

Mr Glenn Hurstfield Mr R K Jeha Mr & Mrs Maurice Lambert Mr Gerald Levin Sheila Ashley Lewis Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Mr Frank Lim Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Brian Marsh Ms Sarah Needham Mr & Mrs Egil Oldeide Edmund Pirouet Mr Michael Posen Mr Peter Tausig Mrs Kazue Turner Lady Marina Vaizey Mr D Whitelock Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Kenneth Goode Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged.

Corporate Members Gold Deloitte & Touche Silver British American Business Man Group plc Bronze Appleyard & Trew llp Charles Russell Destination Québec – UK Diagonal Consulting Lazard Leventis Overseas Québec Government Office in London Corporate Donors Lombard Street Research Redpoint Energy Limited In-kind Sponsors Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd Sela Sweets Ltd

The United Grand Lodge of England Villa Maria Education Partners Lambeth City Learning Centre London Borough of Lambeth Southwark EiC Trusts and Foundations Adam Mickiewicz Institute Allianz Cultural Foundation The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation Borletti-Buitoni Trust The Candide Charitable Trust The John S Cohen Foundation The Coutts Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Emmanuel Kaye Foundation The Equitable Charitable Trust The Eranda Foundation The Ernest Cook Trust The Fenton Arts Trust

The Foyle Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Henry Smith Charity The Idlewild Trust John Lyon’s Charity John Thaw Foundation The Jonathan & Jeniffer Harris Trust The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust Lord Ashdown Charitable Settlement Marsh Christian Trust Maurice Marks Charitable Trust Maxwell Morrison Charitable Trust The Michael Marks Charitable Trust Musicians Benevolent Fund Paul Morgan Charitable Trust The R K Charitable Trust Ruth Berkowitz Charitable Trust The Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation Stansfield Trust The Underwood Trust and others who wish to remain anonymous.

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PHILHARMONIC NEWS

Jewish Free School Composition Project At the beginning of this term, workshop leader Fraser Trainer and three players from the Orchestra visited the Jewish Free School in Harrow to assist students in their studies on the topic of minimalist music.

The students participated in two days of intensive workshops, in which they explored the ideas and methods of composers such as Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Philip Glass. They then used these techniques – as well as some of their own original ideas – to compose and perform their own minimalist pieces. The sessions taught the students skills that they can use directly in the Composition and Listening areas of their GCSE examinations.

Renga with Tim Garland, Nikki Iles and Stan Sulzman The Renga ensemble is a group of highly trained classical musicians from the Orchestra who work with performers and composers from outside the classical

mainstream. Under Scott Stroman, the group has developed into a well respected performance ensemble in its own right. Its repertoire covers music with influences from Latin, Indian and African styles and has recently included the UK première of Miles Davis’ The Birth of the Cool and a performance with the Karnatic College of Percussion.

Pianist Nikki Iles and saxophonists Tim Garland and Stan Sulzman rank amongst the most respected jazz musicians in the UK today. They frequently perform together and are well known for their work outside the jazz scene. Amongst them they have formed novel new ensembles, worked with theatre and arts groups and composed for leading orchestras.

At 8.45pm on Wednesday 2 December at the Vortex Jazz Club, they will perform original music with Renga under the leadership of Scott Stroman. For full details and tickets, telephone 020 7840 4242.

Leonidas Kavakos: An Artist in Focus Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos, world renowned for his virtuosity and musicianship, performs in four concerts specially created for Southbank Centre with: Wednesday 25 November 2009

Sunday 29 November 2009

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Vladimir Jurowski conductor

NICHOLAS ANGELICH piano

Webern, Lindberg, Berg, Schnittke Saturday 28 November 2009

CAMERATA SALZBURG* Lutosławski, Bach, Mozart

Bach, Schumann, Bartók, Enescu Tuesday 1 December 2009 String and piano trios featuring: Antoine Tamestit viola Gautier Capuçon cello Nikolai Lugansky piano Rodion Shchedrin, Schnittke, Tchaikovsky

Tickets www.southbankcentre.co.uk/kavakos *Camerata Salzburg appear as part of Shell Classic International

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ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Martin Höhmann Chairman Stewart McIlwham Vice-Chairman Sue Bohling Simon Carrington Lord Currie* Jonathan Dawson* Anne McAneney George Peniston Sir Bernard Rix* Kevin Rundell Sir Philip Thomas Sir John Tooley* The Rt Hon. Lord Wakeham DL* Timothy Walker AM †

Timothy Walker AM † Chief Executive and Artistic Director

*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC TRUST Pehr Gyllenhammar Chairman Desmond Cecil CMG Sir George Christie CH Richard Karl Goeltz Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Dr Catherine C. Høgel Martin Höhmann Angela Kessler Clive Marks OBE FCA Victoria Sharp Julian Simmonds Dr John Viney Timothy Walker AM † Laurence Watt Simon Yates AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, INC. We are very grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for its support of the Orchestra’s activities in the USA. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Charles Russell Solicitors Deloitte & Touche Auditors Dr Louise Miller Honorary Doctor

Alison Atkinson Digital Projects Manager Julius Hendriksen Assistant to the Chief Executive and Artistic Director FINANCE David Burke Finance Director David Greenslade Finance and IT Manager Joshua Foong Finance Officer

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMME

ARCHIVES Edmund Pirouet Consultant

Matthew Todd Education and Community Director

Philip Stuart Discographer

Anne Newman Education Officer

Gillian Pole Recordings Archive

Isobel Timms Community Officer

INTERN

Alec Haylor Education and Community Assistant

Christina Hickman Marketing

Richard Mallett Education and Community Producer

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Fax: 020 7840 4201 Box Office: 020 7840 4242

DEVELOPMENT

CONCERT MANAGEMENT

Emma O’Connell Development Director

Roanna Chandler Concerts Director

Phoebe Rouse Corporate Relations Manager

Ruth Sansom Artistic Administrator

Sarah Tattersall Corporate Relations and Events Manager

Graham Wood Concerts, Recordings and Glyndebourne Manager Alison Jones Concerts Co-ordinator Hattie Garrard Tours and Engagements Manager Camilla Begg Concerts and Tours Assistant Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager Sarah Thomas Librarian Michael Pattison Stage Manager Hannah Tucker Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Ken Graham Trucking Instrument Transportation (Tel: 01737 373305)

Anna Gover Charitable Giving Officer Melissa Van Emden Corporate Relations and Events Officer MARKETING Kath Trout Marketing Director Janine Howlett Marketing Manager Brighton, Eastbourne, Community & Education

www.lpo.org.uk Visit the website for full details of London Philharmonic Orchestra activities.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity No. 238045.

Photographs of Wagner and Bruckner courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London.

Photograph on the front cover

by Benjamin Ealovega.

Programmes printed by Cantate.

Frances Cook Publications Manager Samantha Kendall Box Office Administrator (Tel: 020 7840 4242) Heather Barstow Marketing Co-ordinator Valerie Barber Press Consultant (Tel: 020 7586 8560)

†Supported by Macquarie Group

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FUTURE CONCERTS AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

JTI Friday Series | Friday 6 November 2009 | 7.30pm

Wednesday 25 November 2009 | 7.30pm

Verdi Overture, La forza del destino Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1 Dvo˘rák Symphony 9 (From the New World)

Webern Passacaglia Lindberg Chorale Berg Violin Concerto Schnittke Symphony 3

Yutaka Sado conductor Denis Matsuev piano

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin

Yutaka Sado and Denis Matsuev

Wednesday 18 November 2009 | 7.30pm Haydn Symphony 22 (The Philosopher) Wagner Prelude and Good Friday Spell from ‘Parsifal’ Schnittke Excerpts from ‘The History of D. Johann Faustus’ (UK première)

6.00pm | Royal Festival Hall FREE Pre-Concert Event A performance of works including the Bach/Webern Ricercar and Schnittke’s Polyphonic Tango by Foyle Future Firsts conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

Barlines | Central Bar, Level 2 Foyer FREE Post-Concert Event An informal discussion with Vladimir Jurowski and the evening’s soloist, Leonidas Kavakos.

Sung in German with English surtitles.

Vladimir Jurowski and Leonidas Kavakos

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Stephen Richardson Dr Faustus Anna Larsson Mephistophila Marco Lazzara Mephistophiles Markus Brutscher Narrator Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir

Saturday 28 November 2009 | 7.30pm Schnittke Cello Concerto 2 Haydn The Seven Last Words

6.15pm | Royal Festival Hall FREE Pre-Concert Event A performance of Schnittke’s String Quartet 3 by the Harpham Quartet.

Stephen Richardson and Anna Larsson

Sunday 22 November 2009 | Study Day Queen Elizabeth Hall IN THE LABYRINTH OF ALFRED SCHNITTKE An absorbing day of music and discussion celebrating the life and music of Alfred Schnittke. Pick up a leaflet in the foyer for full details.

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Vladimir Jurowski conductor; Alexander Ivashkin cello Lisa Milne soprano; Ruxandra Donose mezzo soprano Andrew Kennedy tenor; Christopher Maltman baritone London Philharmonic Choir 2.30pm | Royal Festival Hall Film Screening A screening of Elem Klimov’s 1974 film The Agony with score by Alfred Schnittke.

TO BOOK

Tickets £9-£38 / Premium seats £55 London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office 020 7840 4242 | www.lpo.org.uk Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; no booking fee Southbank Centre Ticket Office | 0844 847 9920 www.southbankcentre.co.uk/lpo Daily, 9am-8pm. £2.50 telephone / £1.45 online booking fees; no fee for Southbank Centre members